I was alarmed when I woke up and read an article one of my friends posted on Facebook. It talked about the link between Alzheimer's and menopause. Early in the article, neuroscientist, Dr. Lisa Mosconi, says, "Well for one we have known for a good 10 years that taking out the ovaries or the uterus, increases risk of dementia in women."

The article also mentions that surgical removal of the ovaries increases the risk of Alzheimer's by 70%. This was not exactly the statistic I wanted to wake up to. At the end of the article, almost as a footnote, they mentioned that no one had yet studied how this affects breast cancer patients who are on hormone-blocking drugs. I felt like I was going to hyperventilate. Breast cancer sometimes feels like it's the gift that keeps on giving. 

"Well for one we have known for a good 10 years that taking out the ovaries or the uterus, increases risk of dementia in women." - Dr. Lisa Mosconi

This is not an "old person problem." These...

As I started looking more critically at my own habits, I noticed something: I've been slipping. When we gain weight, or lose fitness, it's easy to blame middle age, or a medication or an unfortunate turn of events. But sometimes, we need to take a look at our habits. Are we doing the things we know work for us? Or are we sliding into a behavior pattern where we are constantly making exceptions?

In this episode, I give you three areas to check on your own habits:

• Nutrition
• Sleep
• Stress

And, I give you some real world examples of how this is working in my own family. You will love these practical journaling strategies that will set you up for success. A few hints:

• Journal like you're documenting your own personal science experiment.
• Create lists of easy recipes and grocery items to have on hand at all times.
• Make lists of contingency plans. The "What if..." list. So you have already thought out some potential ways to respond when you're hangry and want to make choices that...

How do you balance your energy as a runner? We live in a numbers-driven society, making it easy to compare training data with those around us. In sports such as running, there can be pressure to fall within a certain weight range. And dance companies and dance schools often look at BMI (Body Mass Index) to determine if their dancers are "in shape."  As you'll hear on this week's episode, comparisons like these can be dangerous because they don't account for the variety of ways that each individual is different. Following a formula that requires an athlete to be "just like everyone else," can be a recipe for illness and injury. If you're an athlete, a coach, or the parent or partner of an athlete, how do you know if your athlete is eating the right foods to fuel their body for training and competition? Do you know the signs of Relative Energy Deficit in Sport (RED-S)? 

I talked with Rebecca McConville (MS, RD, CSSD, CEDRD) for this episode. Rebecca is a board...

I had already been thinking about the end of the school year and words to share with graduating seniors when "a situation" occurred at my house the other night. My daughter was the director for a feature film that her class created as part of their senior capstone project. It's a huge undertaking, and she was thrilled to be selected to direct. Throughout the process, there have been some challenges, but we've looked at them as learning experiences. There are some things that no book or college class can teach, and the obstacles provided great real-world experience. 

However, there becomes a point where people need to take responsibility for their actions and do the actual work--no excuses. At the end of every podcast, I ask my guest to list three traits that champions possess. This film production process has reminded me why dedication and work ethic are on my personal list. 

In the real world, if you have a job and you don't fulfill the requirements of the job, you are...

For this episode, I spoke with two time Olympian, Nick Symmonds. Nick competed for the U.S. in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. He focused on the 800 meters for the majority of his career, and now in retirement, has set a personal goal of beating 11 seconds in the 100 meters. He has also publicly expressed his desire to climb the seven summits, the tallest mountain on each continent. Nick stays busy hunting, fishing and running the company he co-founded, Run Gum. He also has a wildly-popular YouTube channel where he shares the wisdom he acquired over his 20 year running career. 

Because it's clear that Nick has a heart for working with young runners and sharing the knowledge he's accumulated over his 20 year running career, I made sure to ask him several questions specific to high school running, and questions related to thriving, even if your dream school doesn't want you. I think there's a lot here, even if you don't aspire to be a competitive runner. And, I think this episode is...

You need a strong core to excel in running… but it’s also what is going to keep you moving under your own power and keep you chasing adventure in your 80s and 90s. I talked with Mark Campbell, of Core Strong Fitness, about the importance of core training, how you can use suspension training to become stronger, how you can have an 18 year old athlete and an 80 year old woman rebuilding leg strength both rocking the same class, some of the success stories from the people he's trained, ways to work exercise into your day in small increments, how he creates a supportive environment at his gym... and more!

“If you want to be able to climb a mountain when you’re 80 years old, you have to have a strong core. If you want to run your fastest marathon time, you have to have a strong core.”

--Mark Campbell

About Mark:

Mark Campbell is an NSCA Certified Personal Trainer and Owner of CORE Strong Fitness, the only studio with a TRX focus in Kansas City. He...

Deliece Hofen is  the mother of two sons. Her youngest son, Braden, battled childhood cancer three times. During his second battle with cancer, he faced the words "no known cure" and his odds for survival were less than 10%. Three months after that diagnosis, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. They had chemo on the same days in two different locations in Kansas City for several months. They both achieved remission and life went along pretty well until two years later when Braden was diagnosed with a secondary leukemia that was actually caused by the treatments he had received to save his life from his first cancer. No child had ever survived this particular form of secondary leukemia after battling relapsed neuroblastoma.

In the podcast, we will share what happened next and how Deliece and her family are doing now. Deliece is also the founder of Braden’s Hope for Childhood Cancer, a foundation that funds research so that no other family will ever need to hear the...

The Boston Marathon is the world's oldest annual marathon, and it's a marathon almost everyone has heard of, even if they don't follow running. Running Boston represents dedication, commitment, grit and perseverance--and the runners who make it to the start line in Boston on the third Monday in April each year have poured their hearts into their training.

It's so exciting to be in Boston on race day and for the days leading up to the race, so I wanted to create a special Boston edition of the podcast to bring some of that excitement to everyone--those who are racing, those who are spectating, and those of us who are living vicariously through our favorite runners. 

There is so much that we can all learn about what it takes to be a champion in life, at work, with our loved ones, and in sport by studying how champions think, feel and train. No matter if we run, walk, row, cycle, swim or crossfit... the Boston marathon and the people who run it are inspiring. 

This...

I am so excited to share this week’s interview. I talked to Meredith Atwood, who some of you might know better as Swim Bike Mom. She is a recovering attorney, motivational speaker and author of the newly released, Triathlon for the Every Woman: You Can Be a Triathlete. Yes. You. She is also the host of the podcast, The Same 24 Hours. Meredith lives in Overland Park, Kansas (for now!) with her husband and two children and writes about all things at MeredithAtwood.com. Her next book, The Year of No Nonsense, will be released December 2019. You can follow her everywhere at @SwimBikeMom.

In this interview, we talked about Meredith’s books, overcoming addiction, depression and suicide, and some of the fears we have as moms. She also tells us about some of the fun things she’s discovered since her move to Overland Park, and I share my favorite places to get BBQ in the KC area. If you’ve never done a triathlon, or can’t fathom dipping a toe in the water, I...

Race season is heating up across most of the U.S., so I wanted to do a special race week edition of the podcast to share the "Golden Rules of Race Day."

A few years ago, I was in amazing shape and was prepared for a half marathon PR, but when the race started, a few things happened that were out of my control. These things cost me several minutes and I wasn't able to hit the time I was shooting for that day.

As I complained to friends and had a pity party, some good conversations arose, and I realized that we needed more awareness around some of the "rules" of racing that no one tells us. 

I don't want to give you more to stress about, so most importantly, remember that runners are a good group of people. We love welcoming others to the runner family. And we are all there to have a good time and to participate in an activity that we love.

That said, I'm going to share some ideas that might give you, and everyone around you, a better race day experience. I'd love to hear...